Culture

The Face of Melbourne

The first time I noticed the building was from the ANZAC memorial, far off in the distance a black and white face 32 storeys tall staring back at me. It was far away but I could make out the portrait clearly. I was intrigued and needed to know more about the building and, more importantly, whose face it was.

The face belonged to a man named William Barak.

William Barak

William Barak was born into the Wurundjeri clan in 1823. After serving as a tracker in the Native Police at 19 he followed in his fathers footsteps and became ngurungaeta or clan leader. Throughout his life he became a political leader and spokesman for his people, becoming a prominent figure in the struggle for Aboriginal rights and justice.

Barak lived during a time of great change. During his lifetime the number of white people living in southern Australia had climbed from almost none to over a million. As a young boy he witnessed the signing of John Batman’s 1835’s land purchase contract, which would have large consequences for his people.

Today Barak is remembered for his artwork. They depict indigenous life during that time and their encounters with Europeans, many of which have a permanent place in the National Gallery of Australia.

During the few days I was in Melbourne I came across the building a number of times, mostly by accident, but it was always a pleasant surprise. The building uses shadows created by negative space and white balconies to form the portrait of William Barak which can be seen from many angles.

Though having the face stand out in the Melbourne skyline is an example of times changing many feel that displaying the face of an Aboriginal elder and land rights activist on the front of high-end city real estate is a huge juxtaposition.

Being in Melbourne was the first time I had seen an example of architecture like this. Have you heard or know of any other examples of people or faces used in architecture? Share them in the comments below, I would be interested to see them.

Further Reading:

Views of the building from above and why Melbourne’s new William Barak building is a cruel juxtaposition from The Conversation

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Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall is the oldest indoor swimming hall in Helsinki, opening in 1928, and located in Kamppi. Originally the hall was privately owned until 1954 when it was transferred to the Finnish Sports Federation and then in 1967 to the City of Helsinki.

Being naked was one of the hardest things for me to adjust to about living in Finland. To most Finns it isn’t given a second thought, it’s a part of their culture and almost goes hand in hand with going to the sauna.

I had never been brave enough to visit Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall while it was open, the fear of the unknown was too overwhelming. I had adjusted to being naked in the sauna but there was something about naked swimming that felt like a step too far.

Housed inside is one pool, 25 metres in length and 10 metres wide. The hall has gone through a number of renovations, the last in 1997, though its interior has not been changed since it first opened.

Traditionally people swam naked in Yrjönkatu but since 2001 it became optional to wear a swimming suit or not. As you can swim naked days are separated and alternated between men and women.

I was able to arrange a time to visit the swimming hall before they had opened for the day. The water was perfectly clear and blue, reflecting its surroundings on the still surface of the pool.

Hidden away from view are the changing areas, showers, saunas (of course), and even a cafe on the second floor with seating looking over the pool.

Reidar Särestöniemi (1925-1981) was an artist from Lapland. He lived in the Kittilä region of Lapland for his whole life at his family home apart from a few years while he studied in Helsinki and St Petersburg. He gained recognition after his first exhibition in 1959.

Unlike any other museums I have been to in the past this one was in the original buildings that Reider Särestöniemi lived and worked. This meant that the museum was a little off the beaten track and I had to drive 9km down a gravel road once reaching the turning.

Even though the location was difficult to reach it was a excellent place to house the majority of this work. It was great to experience his artwork while in the natural surroundings of Lapland that influenced him.

The natural surroundings of Lapland heavily affected Reidar’s artwork. The culture and stories are often represented in his work, as well as animals, such as reindeer, that are native to Lapland. Even though Reidar is known for his colourful pieces it was the ones that showed the bleakness of the Lapland winter that spoke to me the most.

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Recently I have been out hunting for reindeer, hoping for the rare chance of getting the perfect shot with my camera but it has been harder than I first thought. One day you will see a field with a hundred reindeer, the next they will be gone without a trace. Finding reindeer in the woods is near impossible, the dense trees make it hard to see them and they hear you before it’s possible to get close enough.

I found a large herd and at first took my photographs from the car. Surprisingly, reindeer won’t move when they see a car but as soon as you get out they are off. After a moment I slowly got out and stood between trees, even though many of the animals had already spotted me and begun to move away.

As I stood on the outskirts of the field, trying not to move, I thought about what I was doing. The reindeer are essentially livestock and I couldn’t imagine myself chasing cows or sheep around a field but there is something different about these animals that I will always admire. This week I will be posting a new reindeer photograph everyday.